Chapter 2.3 Split-second decision
Screams and burning wood roared outside the doors of the tower, that was what Ekali heard when she slumped down next to the stone wall as Ralof spoke to the Jarl who was now standing. She was rubbing her forehead in frustration, not really knowing what to do next now that she was free. Getting out of Helgen of course, but then what could she do? She'd been so focused on death that she could think of little else.
She managed to clear her head in time to see that the men had stopped speaking, and stood up to look at them. Ralof walked over to her, telling her that they had to get further up the tower, and Ekali followed.
Almost having reached the middle level, the two were thrown back by a blast as the beast knocked the wall in and there came a stream of fire through it. The heat licked at their faces where they huddled on the stairs, and when the fiery air cooled, the dragon gone to hunt others, both of them hurried to the hole left in the wall.
"Jump through to the roof of the inn, I'll come later," Ralof said, pointing to the house just outside the tower, and Ekali nodded to him, stepping back a bit and then leaping across he gap to land with a grunt on the floor of the upper level of the building. Glancing back, she saw the Nord disappear back down the tower stairs, and she herself made her way out of the building towards the street.
The soldier whom had been calling out names yelled for a man to hide as she came up to him, and the cause was evident when the dragon landed on the street and fire sprouted where the man had just stood. Staggering back, Ekali crouched by the Imperial soldier.
"Still alive prisoner? I suggest you stay with me if you want to keep it that way," the soldier said without turning around, giving instructions to the other man and the boy whom had been with them. He arose again when the dragon took of, and Ekali had to run to keep up with him as he ran down the street, eyes flying about.
She stooped down to grab the short-sword of a dead soldier just before they came onto a fallen building and had to go into the road on their left to get around it.
"Take cover by the wall!" the soldier called to her as she jumped down the broken stairs after him, and mere moments after she pressed her back into the shadow of the wall the dragon landed above them, placing its wings inches from her face and causing fire to surround a group standing further away.
The dragon did not linger, taking to the air again, and Ekali ran with the soldier down the small road, through a burned house and then out onto the open space in front of the gate. He said something to the soldiers holding the area, and then they were of running again.
The courtyard contained little debris though the dragon swept over it every other minute, and Ekali soon saw Ralof coming on the other side.
"Get out of our way Halldir!" Ralof said venomously when they stopped before each other.
"You'll pay for this Stormcloak," the Imperial answered and took of towards one of the doors to the keep while calling for Ekali to follow him.
"We have to get out of here," Ralof said and hurried to another door. Ekali was struck by indecision, but made her mind up when she saw the black dragon come for another go over the courtyard, and sprinted after the Nord just as he got the door open.